


mechanical hearts

by honeybee_s



Category: RWBY
Genre: Canon Compliant, F/F, One Shot, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-13
Updated: 2019-12-13
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:40:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21776929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/honeybee_s/pseuds/honeybee_s
Summary: my friend had to basically write a fanfic for class. i wrote it for her. here it is.volume 7 canon compliant! there's no spoilers other than penny being back, but theres a few nods to 7x6 if you catch them :)
Relationships: Penny Polendina/Ruby Rose
Kudos: 53





	mechanical hearts

“Hey, wake up!”   
  


The normally sweet, comforting voice sounded like a wailing siren. Ruby groans as she wakes, her spiky red and black hair messier than normal. She rubs her eyes while trying to stifle a yawn, eyes adjusting to the source of the bubbly voice that had woken her seconds prior.  
  


"Good morning, Ruby! Are you ready for today's activities?"  
  


Ruby buries her face into her pillow, groaning. "Ugh, Penny…. couldn’t you give me five more minutes?"  
  


A giggle escapes from Penny’s lips. “I’m sorry, Ruby, but you have training today!”  
  


The dark-haired girl lifts her head, eyeing her friend skeptically. “...I have _ training? _ ”  
  


"Of course!" The girl claps her hands together. "Mr. Ironwood said that you and your team should train your abilities as much as possible while you’re not on missions! He said it was to prepare you for the war to come."  
  


_ The war to come, _ she thought. The war against Salem, the immortal being who, as far as they knew, could not be defeated. Ironwood doesn't know about her immortality, he doesn't know anything about her. Ruby thought that playing her cards close to her chest is the right move, but how long was she going to keep this up for? What would she do if anyone found out? When they did find out what would they do to he-  
  


“Ruby?” her thoughts were interrupted by the bubbly redhead. She shook her head and pushed herself out of bed, grabbing her combat gear from the closet and heading towards the bathroom.  
  


A few minutes later, Ruby re-enters the dorm room clad with her signature red hood and a slight smile on her face. “I’m ready.” Penny’s smile grows wider, her smile beaming as she takes her friend's hand and exits the room.

\--

Ruby didn’t like training as much as she used to. It gets so boring, doing the same thing over and over again. Penny is trying her best to make things more fun, but it’s so  _ boring!  
  
_

During her water break, Ruby slumps against the wall next to her friend. “Don’t you ever get tired of training non-stop every day? Isn’t it just… repetitive?”  
  


“...I suppose it can be at times.” The red-headed girl hesitates in her reply, fiddling with the hem of her dress.  
  


A mischievous grin spreads across Ruby’s face “Then why don’t we skip it?  
”

Green eyes go wide. “But General Ironwood-”  
  


“Doesn’t have to know.” Ironwood has been holding so much power over Penny, and Ruby is growing tired of it. Penny had talked about how she couldn’t have friends because she had to remain her position as the “protector of Mantle,” but Ruby couldn’t imagine a world where Penny wasn’t her friend.   
  


“...but what about our duties as huntresses? We have to improve to defeat Salem, and all of the dangers we’ll face and-”   
  


“Come on.” Ruby stands up and holds out a hand for the girl standing before her. “A few hours couldn’t hurt. We’ll be back before Ironwood even knows we were gone.” She gives her a reassuring look. Penny softly smiles and nods, taking her hand.

\--

They sneak past the Atlas guards fairly easily and go out to further explore the city of Mantle. Even though there’s an industrial, gloomy feel to the place, simply being in the presence of each other had brightened their day. The influx of people walking around didn’t bother them as they dodged every one of the AI robots used for security. However, sneaking past AI wasn’t enough to keep them hidden. A man notices Penny, the protector of Mantle. The sight of her sends a rush of anger through him.   
  


“HEY!” His voice booms. Both girls turn around, startled. “What’s Ironwood’s sentient garbage doing out here? Is the ‘protector of Mantle’ finally gonna do something about this city?”   
  


Penny's face twists into confusion. “I’m sorry sir, can I help you with anything?”  
  


The man stumbles as he walks forward towards the two girls. “Yeah! You can do us all a favor and stay up in atlas with the rest of you metal-heads!” He spits on the ground in front of him.  
  


“Sir… I don’t understand-”   
  


Ruby cuts her off, fueled with rage. “Hey! What’s your problem with her?”  
  


“ _ My  _ problem?” he laughs. “This isn’t just  _ my  _ problem. We’d  _ all  _ be better off without aimless AI like her _ , _ ” he raises his finger and points it at Penny. “roaming the streets.”  
  


Ruby sneers and begins to lunge at him, but Penny raises her arm, not a moment too late to stop her from going forward.   
  


Penny turns her head and whispers under her breath. “Ruby, we can’t cause a scene.”  
  


“He can’t just insult you like that! I’m not just gonna stand by and watch him attack you for no reason!”  
  


“Ruby-”  
  


“Hey, buddy!” She puts her hands on her hips, staring the man down. “Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?”   
  


He lets out a single laugh. “Ha, you? You’re hardly my size, kid, so why don’t you just run home to-”  
  


Ruby reaches behind her for her collapsed scythe. She whips it around her body, pressing the button to unfold the weapon in all its glory. With one last twirl, she brings it to a stop, standing it up next to her small form.  
  


The man freezes, swallowing the lump in his throat. “...mommy.”  
  


“Leave. Her. Alone.” He takes a step back from the two girls. “Penny has done nothing but protect you and the rest of the citizens of Mantle. The least you can do is appreciate the fact that under her protection, no one has died of an attack in months!”  
  


In spite of his obvious fear, he scoffs. “Whatever. You might sympathize with these hunks of metal now, but I don’t. One day you’ll see why.” He turns around with his hands in the pocket of his jacket, walking away from the scene he caused.   
  


As he fades out of sight, Ruby sticks his tongue out and blows a raspberry in his direction, resulting in a laugh out of Penny.  
  


Despite the laughter, Penny’s face falls into a frown as she looks down at the ground. “I’m sorry, Ruby. I wish you didn’t have to experience that interaction.”  
  


“Do these types of interactions happen often?”  
  


“No, not really.” she sighs “It’s becoming more frequent recently, though.”  
  


Ruby grumbles. “It’s not fair. You’re as real as they are, maybe even more. You have a heart, and you have a soul. That soul is kind and deserves to experience love and happiness, not hate like this.”  
  


“Besides, no one hurts my best friend and gets away with it!” Ruby holds out her hand in the form of a fist, awaiting a fist bump from her friend.  
  


Penny raises her hand, but she drops it seconds later. Instead, she lunges forward, wrapping her arms around Ruby’s shoulders and pulling her into a hug. Ruby immediately returns the hug, smiling, and burying her face into the redhead’s shoulder.  
  


“Thank you, Ruby. For everything.”   
  


“Anything for you, Penny.”


End file.
